Here Without You
by soul-searching813
Summary: Rated for slight language. It's Marco's start of his Junior Year, how's he coping without Dylan around? Please read and review! First fanfic!


OK, so this is my first fanfic on this site. I was going to divide it into chapters, but it was either create really short chapters, and create a semi-long one shot, and I decided on the latter. Please please please read and review.

It was a chilly autumn night as Marco found his way through the local park. He tromped loudly across the grounds, feeling the leaves crunch and crinkle under his shoes. He began noticing small wisps of condensation fill the air whenever he exhaled, and so as he continued on, he pulled his hat down lower toward his ears, and wrapped his scarf a little tighter around his neck. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket, as with the exception of his hands he was covered head to toe in articles of clothing, and with good reason, it had gotten surprisingly cold after he'd left school that day.

Ugh. School. The very thought of it seemed to sap his energy and his patience today. Actually, the whole week had been a disaster. On Tuesday, his Algebra II class had a test over...what in the Hell did they even call the stuff they'd been studying lately anyway? Marco had a few good words for it, but nothing that wouldn't get him sent straight to Radditch's office had he bothered to speak his piece in class. Regardless, he hadn't studied, because he'd been up most of the night with Ellie. Her mom had gotten drunk, again, and this time, she was in "angry mom" mode, as opposed to "slumpy mom" mode, as El often referred to her as one or the other. She had gone off on Ellie about what a lousy daughter she was, and what a total disgrace she was to the family. She'd gone as far as to call her own daughter a "gothic freak in need of a serious ass kicking." Ellie had but little choice to wall herself up in her room for the night, all the while her mom pounded on her bedroom door screaming and shouting at her bitch of a daughter to come out and quit being such a brat. She had sat on the other side of that door for nearly an hour, listening to the horrible rants and ravings of her drunken mother, and wondering all the while what in God's good name had been taking her father so long to get back from his Peace Keeping Mission overseas. Her mind wondered about other things as well, she had forced herself to concentrate on her homework or the television...until it became too much to bear. The compass, on her desk next to the Algebra study review, was looking tempting again. It was in that one moment of consideration, and hesitation, that she broke down. With her last ounce of will power she picked up the phone and dialed Marco's number.

It rang only once, as Marco had been expecting Dylan's phone call in a matter of minutes.

"Hello sweetie." He said surprisingly sheepishly into the phone. His face had already turned red, as he realized it could have been a business call for his father, in which case, he was fully prepared to hang up the phone immediately.

"Marco?" The voice on the other end was that of a child's, small, and fragile the listener's ears. It was not the Ellie he'd come to know and love, it was the voice of a young girl at the end of her rope. He bolted straight up from his bed he'd been laying on.

"Ellie...what's wrong?" He asked.

"It's mom...she's...Marco I can't do this anymore, it's too hard." She wept into the phone.

In the background, Marco could still hear the incessant pounding upon her door, he knew already that Ellie was in for the night of her life.

"Hold on." He whispered. "Ellie listen to me, just hang on...and..."

"And?" she asked.

"And unlock your bedroom window."

As Marco reached a grove of trees in the park, he picked up his cell phone and dialed Paige's house. She had told him to meet her at the park at 9, sharp. He knew Paige was a complete stickler when it came to promptness...not so much as to when it came to her being on time, it was just, she couldn't stand it when other people were late, and so he'd left his house 20 minutes early to assure himself he wouldn't be.

The phone rang several times, and just as Marco was about to hang up, there was an answer "Hello?" the voice said.

"Mrs. Michaelchuk hello." Marco replied as warmly as possible...speaking of warmth...man was it getting colder, it's only October for crying out loud what's up with this?

"Marco, hello, how are you doing tonight?" She asked.

"Well, thank you, is Paige home?" He continued walking along the line of trees he had come to until he hit a break in them, and passed through, proceeding onto a cement path that would steer him toward the otherside of the park.

"Paige? No I was told she'd be meeting you tonight." Was her reply. "At the park sometime soon, correct?"

"Yeah...it's just a big park...and it's starting to get dark, did she happen to tell you where in the park she'd be meeting me?" He asked. As he continued along the cement path he realized he was completely alone, not a single soul besides himself was spending their Friday evening at the local park. It was a bit unsettling.

"No dear I'm afraid not, perhaps you should try her cell phone, I think it's safe to say it's on, and most likely glued to her ear as we speak."

"Yes, thank you Mrs. M, have a good evening."

"You too Marco."

Marco hung up the phone, and sat down on a nearby bench and collected his thoughts. He stared at his watch, it read 8:40, he still had a good amount of time, and maybe she was still on her way. In the meantime, he continued to reflect, on what had to be one of the worst weeks in history.

Marco had climbed into Ellie's window no more than thirty minutes later. He had lied to his parents and told them he was in for a late night study session with Spinner again. He didn't feel like explaining to his parents that he'd be spending the night with a girl, even though he knew his dad would have been ecstatic over the fact that his dating-impaired son had a female love interest, his mother would have flipped. He had slightly grinned on his way to El's when he considered the future conversation with his father, when he finally told him that not only would he and Ellie always just be friends, but that he had been dating Dylan for months, the very guy Mr. Del Rossi was so certain so a total stud with the ladies. Marco's father use to terrify him with his homo bashing, and his narrow-minded thinking, and God the shouting! Always with the shouting, at the television, at the cat, at his own mother, the man needed anger management in a big way. But if Marco had one solid foothold in his life, he believed it to be Dylan, and he knew his father could rain Hell upon him if he so chose someday, but Dylan would always be there to pick him right back up. Together, they would always be invincible.

But Dylan was nowhere to be found in Ellie's room that night, and Marco found himself at a loss of words, as he saw his friend collapsed to her knees on the floor bawling. The banging had stopped, and in the distance, Marco could hear her mother's retching in the bathroom down the hall.

_Typical. _Marco thought to himself angrily. _What is it these days with parents? Assholes._

Marco could find no words to comfort Ellie in that moment of crisis, and so as he bent down and wrapped his arms around her he simply held her as she collapsed into him. He'd never seen Ellie like this.

_Is this how it always is for her when her mom goes on a drinking binge? How awful..._ He thought to himself. At that moment he glanced over her room, and his eyes landed on a compass, still closed, sitting atop her math book.

_No. _He told himself. _This time she was strong enough, Thank God, this time she was strong enough..._

"Thank you so much Marco, I just can't do this anymore, I can't." She cried over and over into his sweater, cries turning into sobs.

"Shhhh..." He stroked her hair and held her, like his mom use to when he was a child, and he'd wake up from a bad dream. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here."

Twenty minutes or so had passed like this, until Ellie pulled away from him, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You don't know what it means to me, that you came over tonight, I wasn't even expecting that."

"You can always count on me El, I love you, you know that." He smiled kindly.

She nodded, "I'm thinking, maybe, we should get some sleep...big test tomorrow...and all..."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He said, "I'll take the floor, you have some blankets in your closet?"

"Um...yeah...but..." She trailed off, and as she grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes, she turned her back to him.

"Yeah El?" he asked.

"It's just, the bed's a lot more comfortable...and...you're gay...and I have a boyfriend...I trust you, if you trust me that is." She stumbled.

_Well I'll be. Ellie Nash nervous._

"Of course I trust you." He smiled. "Still, we probably shouldn't tell Sean."

Ellie laughed, "I'll be sure to edit that part out in the morning."

Marco averted his eyes while she changed into her PJ's, and then climbed into bed with her-fully clothed.

"Does this bother you? I can still sleep on the floor." Marco assured her.

:"No, really Marco, it's fine...you know they say the safest thing a girl can have in her bed is a gay guy." She replied, and then turned to face him.

"Ellie...why did you call me tonight?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, why me, and not Sean." He asked again. "I mean, you know I love you, you know I'm always here for you...but why not your boyfriend?"

She smiled, "Because...when I looked at that compass, when I felt myself start slipping away...I needed you. I needed my best friend in the whole world, not my boyfriend."

Marco smiled, "Thanks for choosing me."

Ellie's smile faded, and she became serious, "Even if you're gay, even if I don't feel that way about you anymore...you'll always be my best friend Marco, and my soulmate."

Marco put his arms around her, and held her. "You'll always be my soulmate too buddy, always."

And finally, at 3 AM, they fell asleep, just like that.

Marco yawned and stretched his arms wide as he sat on the park bench recalling that night. It was good that he'd gotten to connect with Ellie like that, ever since she'd started dating Sean it was like he hardly saw her at all...he just wished it hadn't been under those circumstances. They both had gotten a couple hours of sleep at the most, before sneaking past Ellie's passed out mother in the living room, and heading out for school. Marco flat out bombed his test, leaving several answers completely blank, which he knew better than to do, but on two hours of sleep after such a traumatic night he simply refused to care. By the time lunch rolled around he decided to throw in the towel, and go to the nurse to see if he could head home.

He remembered sitting in the waiting room while the school nurse got ahold of his mother, informing her that her son would be headed home soon, when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Skipping out Marci? Got a playdate with Homochuck?"

_No...not today...I have no patience for this today._

"Ah, Jay, what finds you to the nurse's office, try to think and break your brain again?" Marco mused.

He looked up at the older boy from the couch. Black backwards cap he always refused to take off, which covered all but a few trails of his greasy reddish-brown hair. Black jacket, black jeans, oh yes, this boy certainly knew how to accessorize. He topped his sheik look off with a chain around his neck, and a ripped white t-shirt with...what was that? Oh today we were treated to the sight of the ripped t-shirt with grease stains.

"What brings you to the nurse's office Marci, Dylan too rough with his little bitch last night?" Jay seethed.

"Can't knock it until you try it Jay, not that anyone would ever try anything with you." The words seemed to flow naturally from Marco's mouth, and his eyes flashed with intensity Jay had never seen before.

"I'd never let a fag touch me." He shot back.

Marco smirked, "Then I suggest you get fitted for a new pair of hands."

At that point Jay raised his fist, and it flew toward Marco. Marco knew he should close his eyes, he knew he should flinch, he knew he should probably brace himself for the massive black eye he had surely brought upon himself...but instead he did nothing. Jay's fist smacked the wall inches from Marco's head. It had been a scare tactic, and Marco hadn't even flinched. Jay arched an eyebrow, almost in approval, but the concept was masked behind his eyes, which were brimming with hate.

"You've grown a pair Marco, I'm sorta impressed. I figured you'd crawl in a hole and die without your boyfriend around...but watch your back, because I don't take shit from anyone...especially from queers."

"Nor I from trash." Marco smirked.

At that moment the door to the Nurse's office opened, and Marco was given his clearance to leave school for the day. Crisis averted.

Marco felt a little prideful as he walked himself home. Dylan had always told him to stand up for himself when it came to bullies, and ignorant people. Marco had always been too afraid, and thought Dylan was crazy for even suggesting that a little guy like him could fend for himself against the likes of people such as Jay. Today was the first day he'd ever taken a stand, and actually mouthed off to those that discriminated against him. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that put him on edge, or maybe it finally clicked in his head that people like Jay had no right to look down on people like him.

Or maybe it was a piece of Dylan inside of his heart. Gosh how he missed Dylan, even though he was attending University only an hour from his home, he hadn't seen him in almost a month, and hadn't spoken to him in a week. He knew Dylan was busy, his full ride scholarship to college came with the price of devoting nearly his entire life to Hockey for the greater part of the school year. He'd been expecting that call from him Monday night, because he knew Dylan's busy schedule, and he knew that Monday nights were one of the few nights he was guaranteed to have open.

As Marco approached his block he started running toward his house, he couldn't wait a minute longer to check the Caller Id to see Dylan's phone number. Maybe he left a message with Ma, maybe-

"Maybe he didn't call at all." Marco grumbled to himself on the park bench. And he hadn't. Dylan hadn't called, he hadn't left a message with Ma, nothing. No word from the love of his life in over a week. What was wrong with his life lately? His friends were falling apart, his boyfriend couldn't find five minutes in the last week to place a phone call to him, could it get any worse?

At that moment his cell rang, startling him. "Hello?" he answered.

"Marco, its Paige." Her voice sounded hostile, cold.

"Paige! Hey I'm at the park where are you at?"

"Don't get snippy with me, I told you nine, it's not my fault you're early." There was an edge in her voice he recognized all too well, it was the tone she used with Spinner when he screwed up something important. Great, what had he done?

"No snipping here, just wondering where to meet you." He replied.

"Where are you?"

"Near the playground, on a bench." He replied, but it's like his mind was on autopilot, he was actually concentrating more on the tone of her voice, what was wrong with her?

"Forget that Hun, not walking all the way out there, I'm on the east side, near the rose gardens, meet me there, and hurry up."

"Paige, what's wrong?" Marco asked, "Did Spinner do something? Did I?"

"Hurry up Marco."

Click.

As Marco closed his phone, a million thoughts began to fill his head. Did Spinner mess up again? Was it something to do with her trial against Dean that was coming up? Why was she so edgy?

_Dylan._

In his heart of hearts, he knew...all of this must have had something to do with Dylan. It all made sense, after what happened Thursday...

Marco had stayed home from school Wednesday, his mother had insisted he take a day off from his studies and get some rest, as obviously his study session with Spinner had left him exhausted. If his mother only knew what he'd really been up to, but how do you explain to your mother that you spent the night in your best girlfriend's bed, keeping her calm and safe from her psychotic drunken mother?

When he returned to school Thursday he was irritable. He'd tried calling Dylan several times Wednesday, with no luck. Where the Hell was he? Why wasn't he returning any of his phone calls? Why was he acting like he didn't even exist?? WHY????

Marco banged his head loudly against his locker door. "He's going to leave me, I can just feel it."

"Dylan? No chance on earth." Jimmy smiled siding up next to him.

Marco gave a half-smile at his friend. "Sorry Jim, I didn't see you standing there, I probably sound like a nut job."

"Well to be honest, you've been acting a little funny this week. I saw you stressing over that math test a couple days ago, you were the last one of us out of class that day. Not like you. Then I over hear Jay in Independent Study, mouthing off about some "smart-ass queer." Jimmy smiled "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?"

Marco slumped his shoulders, "What can I say, it's been a great week."

Jimmy patted him on the back, "You're worried about Dylan, is that what this is?"

"That's not how it started, but now, yeah, I want to know where my boyfriend is, it's just all getting to me...school...and my friends...and people like Jay...it's just all coming to a head, and I'm sick of it!" Tears started welling up in his eyes, what was this? He'd been under so much stress before, so much more than this, and not resorted to tears, but now it's like the tears were just coming out of no where.

"Hey, hey it's ok." Jimmy put his arms around him and gave him a hug. "I'm sure he'll call, and you'll get through everything, I swear you will."

Marco pulled away from him quickly, but he smiled. "Thanks, but no public showing of affection, don't want the student body thinking you've joined up on my side or anything."

Jimmy's grin only got wider, "Screw what anyone in this school might think about me Marco, or you for that matter. I'll never be ashamed to show you I'm your friend."

Marco wiped a tear away from his face, "Thanks Jim."

Jimmy looked over Marco's shoulder, "But speaking of public showing of affection, I just caught sight of my girl," He laid a firm hand on Marco's shoulder, "You going to be ok?"

"Yeah, fine, go." Marco waved him away. "Thanks buddy."

As Jimmy walked off, Paige approached. "So what was that all about?"

Marco shook his head, "It's been a very long week...have you heard from Dylan?"

Her eyes flashed, it was a split-second dart, but he saw it, he felt it, and he sent a chill down his spine. "...Paige?"

"No." She said abruptly, and started walking past him.

"Nothing at all? He hasn't called you? Or your parents? Or anyone?" Marco felt his voice hit a couple of high notes as it cracked, he felt like he was having to chase her down as she increased the stride in her step.

"Hun, look, I'm going to be late for Psych...what are you doing tomorrow?" Was her curt reply.

Marco felt like he'd been stung, "Tomorrow? Nothing, why?"

"Park, 9 sharp, be there, we'll talk ok?"

"Ok...but talk? About what? Paige what's going-"

At that moment the bell rang, Paige rolled her eyes.

"Now I'm going to have to sneak in. Bye gorgeous."

With that, Marco was left in the dust, and once again, he felt very much alone.

Marco quickened his pace as he approached the rose gardens, the sidewalk twisted along the narrow path, and the park lights flickered faintly above his head. He checked his watch once more, 9:05, he was late now. Making his way across the park had actually taken quite a bit of time. It had gotten even colder out, and his breath was coming out in a fog with every exhale. He no longer cared though, he walked with determination, and with purpose. Paige, he had decided, had information about Dylan, information he decided she had been unwilling to share with him at school for one reason or another, and this time he was going to get to the bottom of it.

He didn't catch site of her until he was almost upon her. The only light that reflected her in this utter darkness was her cell phone, glowing against her ear. As he saw her, he slowed down, only about ten or fifteen feet from her. He realized she was on the phone with someone, and despite the fact that she was completely alone, she refused to raise her voice above a whisper. He crouched down on the otherside of a bench she was standing in front of, and listened in. He knew he shouldn't have been eavesdropping, and he considered standing right back up, and announcing his presence, until he heard her say it.

"The last couple of days have just been so hard, you have no idea how bad it's been trying to cover for you." She said. There was a long pause as the other voice spoke, before she continued. "Yeah I know, you've only told me that a dozen times, but it doesn't change the position you put me in, forcing me to do your dirty work is crappy Dyl, and you know it. Did you know just yesterday Marco nearly jumped me asking about you? The guy's losing it, and it's all because of you, you should be very proud of yourself."

Marco was stunned, he'd never heard Paige talk like this to Dylan, the sarcasm just dripped from her lips on that last sentence, and he could feel the tension just radiating off her. What had Dylan done? What was she talking about?

"This is just wrong, how long have you been dating Marco Dylan?" She paused, "No, Dylan don't give me that, answer the question...yeah that's right, almost 8 months Dylan, I can't believe you. This isn't even like you! What the Hell happened to you while you've been away anyway?" Her voice cracked as it began to rise. "You know, you haven't even called mom and dad in like a month, they've been worried sick about you, you don't return their calls, you just act like none of us even exist to you anymore, not me, not Marco, not anyone."

Marco felt his heart sink like a stone into his stomach. His worst fears were true, Dylan HAD changed. He'd become some kind of pompous jerk, he was rejecting his family, his sister,

Him. Dylan was even rejecting him. That's why Dylan hadn't called him, that's why Dylan hadn't been coming to see him, Dylan was moving on with his life, and cutting everyone from his past away. Marco felt tears sting the backs of his eyes, and a short sob escaped his lips...no, he wasn't going to deal with this...not after the week he'd had, not after all he'd had to go through lately. Dylan wasn't going to send Paige to break up with him and get away with it. He wasn't going to get thrown away and forgotten like garbage, Dylan was going to get his, right now.

Marco leapt up from his place behind the bench and snatched the phone from Paige.

"Marco! What are you-" She was obviously startled, as this was completely UN-Marco like, but dammit, if he'd just lost Dylan, then he'd finally lost all traces of sanity he might have had left inside him.

"Dylan." His voice was meant to come out firm, menacing, but there was a twinge of pain in it that he simply couldn't erase, he still fought back his tears though, he wasn't going to cry, not now. He was too strong for that, he was too strong to let this "new Dylan" get the better of him. "Dylan how could you do this to me? To Paige, and to your family? Why are you being like this? Do you have any idea how much we all care about you? How much I miss you?"

He fought and fought with all he had, but he couldn't keep the single tear from slipping down his face, his whole body convulsed, and he felt ill, he was barely able to bring his voice above a whisper, "Don't you know how much I love you?"

Silence hung in the air like poison, drawing the very life out of Marco...there came no response on the other end of the line, and Marco sank to his knees in the cool grass. A cloud passed overhead, allowing the full moon to shine down upon him, illuminating the rose garden around him. Marco closed his eyes as another tear escaped, and as he felt that second tear drop from his chin, he looked back up at Paige, who stood their with tears in her eyes, pouring down her face.

"I love you too."

It was Dylan...

But his voice wasn't on the other end of the phone.

Marco turned, and saw Dylan standing no more than a couple feet in front of him, his hands were stuffed in his leather jacket, and his bright blue eyes sparkled in the illuminating trance of the moon.

"Wha...what's going..." Marco stared at Dylan, afraid to look away, afraid he was going insane, afraid if he dared to even blink that he would vanish. Finally, common sense took over, and told him that Dylan was indeed there, and he wasn't going anywhere. He took the cell phone away from his ear, and stared down at it.

It was off.

He turned to look at Paige, who was pulling a kleenex from her jacket pocket to blow her nose. "Ok, Dylan, you were right, the last part was just way too mean, even for me."

Dylan ignored his sister's comment, and stepped forward to crouch down next to Marco, he wrapped his arms around the younger boy's fragile physique, and enveloped his body inside his. Dylan's tears continued to flow as he began to brush Marco's hair over and over in a steady rhythm. Marco on the other hand had decided to place his emotions on the back burner, and the calculating logic he was infamous for took over once more.

"Part? You planned this? Planned what?"

Paige let out a small sigh of regret. "I messed up...Dylan called me Monday and told me he wanted to surprise you by coming back to town, and he wanted me to help him throw a romantic evening for you tonight...I of course had to keep it a secret, but I'm no good at keeping good gossip to myself." She let out a weak smile and continued. "So instead I kinda, sorta, came up with the idea of making you think Dylan had been MIA for the last few weeks, sort of to throw you off incase by behavior gave me away."

"That's why you avoided me all week, and that's why you were so short with me on the phone...you wanted to trick me into thinking that Dylan was dumping me..." Marco didn't ask, he knew, it all fit now.

Paige shook her head and smiled, "I heard you coming a mile away, the phone call I pretended to make was just suppose to scare you a little, so I wouldn't give the whole thing away at the last second...I never meant to make you cry Hun. I feel just awful now..."

Marco smiled, "So none of it's true?" He looked up at Dylan, who just smiled back at him through teary eyes. They were like two sapphire pools in the light.

"No...I just wanted to surprise you...I didn't know it would go like this."

Marco stared up into the face of his love, and for a moment, he felt the world fall away. The stars and the moon melted into the background, the trees and the grass, even Paige seemed to vanish. He hadn't felt this way since he and Dylan first kissed all those months ago. It was like Dylan was the world. He was his world.

"Marco, Hun, talk to me, please." Paige pleaded, "I never meant to hurt you, I feel like a total hag."

Marco parted from Dylan, it was the most painful thing he'd done all week, by far, and stood to face Paige. He wrapped her in a hug and she burst into tears, tears of relief.

"Thank you." He replied. "It's ok...I'm just so glad he's here...and that you're really not pissed at me."

Paige laughed as she parted from him, "You thought I was mad at you?"

"Well yeah." He smirked, "And the last thing you want is to be on Paige Michelchuk's list."

She placed a finger to his nose and grinned, "Got that right, luckily..." she looked at her brother, and then back to him, "I love you both too much for you to ever make my list." With that she turned and walked over to the rose garden, and bent down. She picked up a lighter, and lit some candles that before had been hidden earlier due to the lack of lighting in the sky. The candlelight revealed a blanket spread across the ground, and a cooler packed with food and drinks. Also, off to the side, a small portable radio was laying in the grass. Paige turned on the CD player, and soft slow music began belting out softly across the park.

"Night guys." She said, brushing her last tear from her eyes, before walking off into the night.

Marco turned and looked back at Dylan, his head still spinning from this revelation, he'd been set up? Dylan was really here?

Dylan removed his jacket, and slung it over the park bench, and cradled Marco in a gentle and loving embrace.

"I was so stupid, I should have just told you I was coming back to town." He whispered in Marco's ear."

"No." Marco shook his head, burying it into Dylan's sweater, "Besides the whole 'nearly going insane because I thought you were leaving me thing', this is great. This is better than great...it's perfect."

They held each other for a few minutes. Doing nothing more than feeling each other's arms around each other. Marco inhaling the rugged scent of Dylan's cologne and after shave, and Dylan burying his chilled face into his boyfriend's tasseled hair. The very ability to hold one another, to embrace each other, to simply feel after these last couple of months, was more romantic and intimate than all the phone conversations they'd shared combined.

"Do you want to dance?" Dylan's voice was the first to break the silence.

"What?" Marco asked.

"Well...we've got music...we've got candlelight...starlight...and complete and total privacy..." Dylan flashed that award winning smile. "So, may I have this dance?"

Marco returned the smile with a dazzle of his own, "Only if I get to do one thing first." With that, he threw his arms around Dylan's neck, and pressed his lips softly against his. Dylan placed his hands around Marco's waist, and they danced, just like that, parting only for air, or to occasionally get lost in each other's eyes.

After that song ended, they danced to the next, and the next, and the next. A good thirty minutes must have passed on their dancing/making out session, before they settled onto the blanket on the ground beside them.

Marco lay with his back pressed against Dylan's chest, and with Dylan's arms folded tightly around his torso, as they stared up at the stars together. They twinkled with mischief, and joy in the night sky. The moon still hung high over head and seemed to glow only for the two of them. It was as if the entire night was meant only for them.

"Did you mean it? When you told me you loved me?" Dylan whispered softly in his ear.

Marco leaned his head on its side, against Dylan's chest. He listened to the steady thump of his heartbeat. "I love that sound."

"What sound?" Dylan asked.

"Thump-thump." He whispered. "Thump-thump. I could spend forever listening to your heart..." He turned around so that now he lay facing Dylan, their faces only inches apart. "I love you with everything I have Dylan Michaelchuk. There's in nothing in this world I want more than to spend every moment I have with you." He stroked a curl of golden hair gently away from Dylan's forehead, "Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

Dylan raised his head, and kissed Marco once more, passionately this time, his lips devoured the younger boy's, and his tongue darted in and out of his mouth. His arms moved up and down Marco's back, sending shivers down his spine. Marco returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, placing both of his hands on Dylan's face, wishing that moment would last forever.

When they did finally part for air, Dylan answered. "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, and I know in my heart, that I will never love anyone as much as I love you."

Marco smiled, and rolled off Dylan, to blow out the candles Paige had lit earlier.

I'll leave it up to you to decide what happened after that. Dylan and Marco certainly aren't sharing, and neither am I. ;)


End file.
